


First Impressions

by sixbeforelunch



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-26
Updated: 2008-04-26
Packaged: 2019-02-28 21:19:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13280094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixbeforelunch/pseuds/sixbeforelunch
Summary: Penny, this is Leslie. Leslie, this is Penny.





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Written circa 2008, prior to the introduction of Amy or Bernadette. Original notes from then: 
> 
> So it occurred to me that I didn't remember watching BBT this week and I wandered over to the website and sure enough there was an episode up that I'd never seen before. And it was a good episode, and a lot of fun, but it annoyed me that Leslie and Penny not only didn't say one word to each other, but didn't even get to appear in the same frame. Since I happen to be of the crazy persuasion that most women not only enjoy being in the company of other women, but also have whole conversations with other women, I wrote this.

The first time Penny actually talked to Leslie was when she caught her breaking into Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. It would have been slightly less awkward if Penny hadn't also been breaking into Sheldon and Leonard's apartment at the time. 

"What are you doing?" Penny asked.

"What are you doing?" Leslie countered.

"I asked first," Penny said.

Leslie considered. "Point conceded. I'm attempting to steal my laptop back from Sheldon before he breaks the encryption code and gains access to my hard drive."

"Lots of top secret physics stuff on there?" Penny asked.

"Yes." Leslie went back to picking the lock. "Also the entire Farscape series including a high quality DVD rip of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars."

"Oh. Farscape. Yeah."

Leslie looked at her. "You've watched it?"

"Yeah. Just don't tell the guys." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "You'll ruin my image."

"I doubt that. If anything it will increase their estimation of you."

"That was a--nevermind."

Leslie went back to the lock. "I find Farscape to be an excellent study of post modern gender rolls in the context of an examination of the nature of warfare."

"Oh," Penny said. "I like the pants."

The door swung open. Leslie gave her a small smile. "I like the pants too."

Penny started to step inside, but Leslie held up a hand. "We've ascertained my motive in being here, but I believe I have an ethical obligation to ascertain yours before I permit you to enter the premises."

"I'm here to steal my laptop back from Leonard. Well, not steal, I gave it to him to fix after I broke it again. Although I didn't really break it, I just downloaded a file that I thought was old Saved By The Bell episodes, but turned out to be this really nasty virus and Leonard's taking it off for me. Except I just remembered that I never deleted those photos of that night in Tijuana when I--well, I'm not really sure what I was doing. See, my friend and I went down when we had just turned eighteen and we got totally wasted and I--"

"I've decided my ethical obligation has been fulfilled and I no longer care why you're here," Leslie said and went in, leaving the door open behind her.

The white board was up in the middle of the living room. Leslie snorted when she saw it. "They'll never get anywhere using that approach."

"You understand that?" Penny asked.

"I understand how deluded Sheldon is, yes," Leslie said and started looking under the couch.

"Wow. Sometimes I wish I understood that stuff. I mean, most of the time I don't care, but I hate the way they think I don't know anything." She looked at the white board. "Like I wish I could come in and ask a question about this squiggly thing here and see what they said."

Leslie stood up, laptop in her arms and looked at the board. "No, I think for it to work it would have to be something remotely plausible for someone of your intelligence and education."

Penny picked her laptop up off the kitchen table. She gave Leslie a tight smile. "Well, it was nice breaking and entering with you, but I've got go get back to cleaning my bathroom now. Which is probably the only thing something of my intelligence and education is good for, so--"

"Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Back to your apartment so that I can teach you. I once TA'ed an undergraduate calculus class, so I think I'm prepared for the level of frustration and intellectual anguish that's going to follow."

Penny rolled her eyes. "Oh, good, another one."

* 

Three hours later, Penny stuck her head into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. "Hey, guys, quick computer question."

"There is no Any Key," Sheldon said, not looking up from his notebook and Leonard snorted.

"What is it Penny?" Leonard asked.

"If I'm writing a shell script, I can chmod to 700 to keep it private, right?"

"Yeah," Leonard said. "700 for priv--"

He stopped. Sheldon stopped. They stared at her.

Penny smiled. "Thanks guys."

Leslie looked at her over the rim of her glasses.

"Oh yeah," Penny said and held up a hand.

Leslie stared at her hand.

"High five?"

Leslie kept staring.

"Nevermind. Coffee?"

"Yes. My adenosine receptors are in desperate need of an antagonist."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

end


End file.
